Battle Royale: Second Shell
by Song Chao
Summary: An original BR story set in an alternate America. They Should have known something was wrong when they got a nice bus... Unique setting, unique characters, and unique events. Tried to stay true to original 'style' please read and review?
1. Prelude

For all you "patriots" out there:

1.) This is a story set in an alternate universe. If the original Japanese novel can slander Japan, then I can do the same with the US. Freedom of speech.

2.) If this still insults you, and you keep reading for some reason… You are a retard.

So do not complain to me if you are a retard. Thank You.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own 'Battle Royale' I just own the characters in this story… Blab la bla… Let's get to the killing, ne?

- Song Chao

**Prelude**

_In the words of your average high school student:_

The Program… If you don't know what it is you are probably living under a rock… or are one. Heh. Sorry, didn't mean to offend. Well listen up, Noob. You at least know there was another world war in 2010, don't'cha? You really are a caveman... So you don't even know about the three alliances? Well, I guess I'll start there.

I'm not sure what the war was actually about, they never told us. Some assume it was for oil, some say it was a grudge thing… It really doesn't matter. The point is that now, in the year 2019, we are still in World War III. The 3 alliances are the Red Star Alliance, The American Dictatorship, And the European Republic.

Can you guess which one we live in? Yup, the 'dictatorship'. How else would something like the 'BR' act be allowed? Apparently, this country was once considered a democracy. But when it began losing the war, it quickly dropped the façade. Hey, what ever helps you win. (We are doing better in the war, however.)

Five years after the start of the war, the American government passed the 'BR', or 'Battle Royale' act. Thus the program was born.

I see you rolling your eyes at my history lesson. Probably wonderin' when I'd answer your damn question. Well here it is.

The 'program' is a multi purpose death match. Think of 'Halo' but without the controller and shields. One high school class is chosen every 2 years and has to fight to the death in some pre-destined place. Teaming up might help… But only if you plan on stabbing your comrades in the back. That's because only one kid can come out alive. That's right. Don't matter if you got relatives, lovers, or friends. They all have to die for you to live. And comin' in second, is still losing, right?

Yah, I know it's sick. But the winner gets all these shiny pretty things. And guess what? You are still in high school.


	2. 00 Shell

**00 Shell- 41 students remaining**

Zel. That was the first name.

Subject is generally quite. His favorite class is 'marksmanship'. Subject excels in this class and this class only, preferring to sleep through his other classes. Subject is known for bleaching and spiking his hair; such radical behavior along with an attitude of sorts has caused him to be seen as sort of a loner. Unpredictability causes him to have a higher threat level.

Ning. This was the second name.

Subject is especially gifted in all areas of academics. He aspires to go to medical school and has been seen studying medical texts during his free time. Fellow students will actually seek his guidance over that of the school nurses when feeling ill. He participates in different clubs but doesn't stay in any one long enough to be considered part of the club. Friendly and outgoing, he is popular and well liked among his peers.

Chao. The third and final name.

Subject passes al his classes with average grades. Like his brother Zel, we believe this is mostly from a lack of effort. Known for being overly optimistic and cheerful to the point of being considered fake. Has some fame for representing his class in martial art competitions held within the school.

"So why are we reviewing these three names in particular? Their class has already been chosen."

"We know that they are all related and supposedly very close, but there is a problem."

"What is it, Mr. Johnson?"

"We have found that our computers were hacked. Nothing of importance was altered or touched, however, the perpetrator seemed to linger on the profiles of these three the longest. We believe it's one of these three or someone related to them."

"So what should we do? Cancel the 'program' this year? Return all the money from the officials who have been casting bets since last summer?"

"Calm down. I said nothing of significance was touched… Just watch these especially close Mr. Smith…"

"… Fine. Zel, Ning, and Chao? What can three kids really do?"

Miles away, the three afore mentioned brothers sneezed simultaneously.

Laughing, Chao pulled his large headband closer to his eyes and asked, "What was that about?".

Below him, in the second level of the bunk bed they shared, Ning answered calmly: "These suitcases haven't been used for years. There's probably just a bunch of dust on them."

After a few more minutes of packing, Zel broke the silence again. "Isn't weird to have a 'surprise' field trip. What is the school board thinking?"

"Hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" Chao quickly responded

"Unless it's a Trojan horse…" Zel muttered under his breath.


	3. 01 Shell

**41 students remaining**

The bus zoomed down the highway, the surrounding city growing denser and denser. Through the window, all the passing lights looked like neon lines pointing them to their destination. With the window open, Chao (Male Student #18) could feel the cool night air blow his ponytail playfully. It was a good feeling, a feeling of peace.

In the chair next to him, Zel (Male student #20) was sleeping with his arms folded. In one of his ears was a steel earring shaped like a skull. His steady breathing was uninterrupted by the loud noise that always comes with having a large group of students in one place.

Ning (Male Student #19) was turned in his seat, playing blackjack with a foreign girl from a friendly province. Mariana (Female Student #12) yelled out "I win!" excitedly and began dancing in her seat as Ning laughed at her. Ning's black spiky hair bounced as he laughed at Mariana's dance, which grew more and more ridiculous.

Next to Mariana, Christina (Female student #6) and Ashely (Female Student #21) giggled to themselves about some secret thing. Throughout the rest of the large bus, students goofed off, read, yelled, and carried on.

A sudden clicking sound caught Chao's attention. He suddenly noticed that there was no more wind blowing through his hair. Lazily, Chao attempted pushing open the window again, longing for the feel of the rushing wind. When he couldn't open the window with one hand, he tried using two. When that still didn't work, He tried forcing the window with his feet. The loud echoing of his foot on the reinforced bus window alerted him to how quite it had suddenly become.

Thinking he was in trouble for kicking the window (stupid Chao, your teacher was in the back of the damn bus!), He turned to face his teacher. If his light brown skin could blush in anticipation, it would have been. However, to his delight, he found that his teacher was quietly sleeping. As was the entire back row. Actually… Upon further observation, everyone on the bus seemed to be dozing off.

Actually, everyone seemed to be falling asleep if they weren't already knocked out. "What's… Going…" He never got to finish the sentence because the darkness of sleep had finally pounced on him and all he could see was black.

A few moments later, the bus took a sharp right turn off the highway. Eventually they reached a small army base where men in black suits holding submachine guns were waiting.

At this moment families of the assorted students in Class C received letters with the special government letterhead. Many of them cried and wailed in agony, others stood silent, frozen in shock. None of them were smiling.

It almost looked like their usual classroom. Ning was one of the first to wake up; around him his fellow students were seated according to student number. Many had their heads down; others were just starting to show signs of waking. In the front of the class, a row of soldiers stood at attention, their battle rifles at ready. Only parting to reveal a large blackboard. "Ning…" Behind him, Zel had finally awoken. "What's going on? What's this thing around my neck?" Quickly, Ning's hands flew to his neck and found that he also had something cold and metallic around his neck. "Wake Chao up."

Finally, everyone started waking up. Panicked questions and hesitant theories filled the air. As if waiting for this opportune moment, a tall Caucasian male walked into the class and stopped in front of the board. He wore an expensive looking suit and the gold crest on his collar marking him as a government official. He looked like he was in his mid fifties, and a shiny handgun (M1911 Pistol, Zel thought to himself.) was held in his hand. "So… You lot are finally awake?"

The smiling, balding man continued speaking. "My name is Mr. Smith. Please do not forget the 'Mr.'" Before anyone could interrupt, and some tried, he continued. "I am hosting this year's 'Program' as your teacher and you all are the lucky contestants." Shouts of panic filled the room.

Of course they all knew what the program was. They were all high school students after all. But no one could believe it. No one wanted to.

"Th- this can't be!" Female Student #10, a pretty blonde girl named Heather stood up next to her desk. Her blue eyes shining viscously, "The program is only supposed to affect those in poor cities! Let those bastards die for us! I don't want to!" Without a word, Mr. Smith raised his pistol and fired two shots, both passed through the student's head like butter. Little pieces of brain sprayed out onto the wall behind her. For a moment, she stayed still, as if in shock. But finally, her corpse collapsed on the floor. "I was raised in a poor district. Are you trying to hurt my feelings?"

Instantly the other student's started panicking and getting out of their seats. The soldiers standing at ready all fired their rifles into the air, bringing immediate silence. "I will not have disorder…" Mr. Smith said calmly, "You will all return to your seats."

Quickly, the students of class C obeyed. Afterwards, two men carrying a large television entered the room. "Okay everyone. Please pay attention."

With a click, the transmission began and a young lady in a skimpy version of the army's uniform appeared before them.

(**Author's note**: _The following is edited from the movie. Please bear with me, as I know I have yet to be too original. That will begin soon_.)

"**Hello, everyone in Class C! You are the lucky class chosen for this year's Battle Royale!**

**Congratulations! Now, I'm going to explain the rules for you. Listen well to fight right and with gusto.**

**You are in a deserted city that looks like this! It's about 10 kilometers around! It was the site of the first battle, so it's empty!"**

At this point, Mr. Smith paused the tape and began to speak, pointing at the picture of the city. "We said that this city had been hit with an atom bomb, but that was a lie. Therefore you do not need to fear radiation poisoning. It is the site of a large scale battle, however, so you might want to watch your head." He hit play, the video now surveying the destroyed city, many buildings having become rubble. Ning took note that, if this was recently shot, there still was a medical building standing.

**The city's divided into many zones. Every six hours, your teacher'll broadcast updates about which zones are becoming danger zones.**

**If you're in those zones, you should leave quickly...because the danger is...**

**OK, about the necklaces you're wearing.**

**They're 100 waterproof and shockproof...and permanent. It monitors your pulse, informing us of your location and movements. So if you linger in a danger zone, or cause trouble, we can identify you and transmit radio waves that trigger an alarm and boom! It explodes! If you try to rip it off, it explodes too, so promise not to do that, okay?**

Chao fingered his necklace a little at this point, continuing to watch silently.

**Oh, I forgot one important thing. There's a time limit on this game! 24 hours. If we haven't got a death after a whole day...all the necklaces automatically explode! And no one wins. As long as we're here, let's fight hard so that doesn't happen!**

**You'll leave the room one by one, but first you get a kit. Inside is food and water, a map and a compass, a flashlight and a weapon. So check it out later, OK? The girls might need personal items so you can all take them.**

**Each weapon is different. Not just guns and knives, either. It's random, so maybe you'll get lucky, maybe not. It eliminates natural advantages. **

At this point, the young lady in the video pulled out a sheathed katana and gasped.

**this one's super lucky!**

Smith stopped the tape and smiled at everyone. At some point while all the students were transfixed to the screen, some more soldiers had entered with a rack of duffel bags. "One more thing." The program's host added, "There is a wall around the city, soldiers have been ordered to 'shoot to kill', so do not try escaping. There are 20 males and 21 females in your class. Minus the talkative bitch I just killed. You guys can thank me later.

You can use any tactic you wish to survive. Even team up as I'm sure many of you will be inclined to do. However, remember that only ONE of you can make it out of here alive!"

Friends that were obviously planning to do this gave each other wary looks.

"Well you will be released in two minute intervals, by your student number. Please hurry so that we can get everyone else out of here. One last thing, after the last student leaves, this will become a forbidden zone. Please be smart."

Smith took a second to lift a clipboard off his desk and began reading it to himself. "Okay this will be boy, girl, boy, girl." He smiled as if he had thought of an inside joke. "Let's mix it up by starting from the bottom of the list. Zel Sung. Come get your supplies, and do not forget your personal effects."

**40 students remaining**


	4. Student List: Day 1

**Student List: Day One**

_**Female:**_

1.) Yuki Yamashita

2.) Roslyn Gayle

3.) Tamara Small

4.) Li Wong

5.) Suki Luna

6.) Christina Nguyen

7.) Tina Mendoza

8.) Janey Kim

9.) Kayla Chan

10.) _Heather Anderson_- Deceased

11.) Kamalya Edwards

12.) Mariana Lopez

13.) Jen Li

14.) Theresa Luna

15.) Mimi Chana

16.) Emily Smith

17.) Madison Mcdonald

18.) Emma Brooke

19.) Shani Allen

20.) Renee Bishop

21.) Ashely White

_**Male:**_

1.) Sing Liu

2.) Gary Lam

3.) Jack Snow

4.) Jean Deschamp

5.) Gabrielle Shepard

6.) Vincent Ari

7.) Kuan-Yin Chu

8.) Kyong-So Kim

9.) Victor Yagami

10.) Corey McClanahan

11.) Xavier Storm

12.) Gerrald Ferrano

13.) Jaque Cousteau

14.) Issac Mencia

15.) Sev Valentine

16.) Chris Black

17.) Max Blair

18.) Chao Song

19.) Ning Song

20.) Zel Song


	5. 02 Shell

Of course the first thing Zel planned to do was wait just beyond the exit. No matter what that Smith person said, he knew his brothers would never hurt him.

The exit was just a large metal gate. How they got a classroom beyond that, he would never know. When he far enough away, the large metal gates closed quickly behind him, making a large BANG that echoed through the abandoned city.

Zel looked around and found that the video surveillance of their battleground was quite accurate. Some buildings still stood tall, with a few minor injuries. Others weren't as lucky, having large gaping holes or just totally demolished. All in all, it felt very densely populated, despite the obvious lack of people.

Behind him, the large metal doors swung open again, kicking up a large dust cloud that blurred the image of the student now exiting. The dust allowed only a shaky silhouette to be seen. Zel smiled to himself a bit, What a Hollywood entrance! If he had thought about it, he would have remembered that they were being let out in boy then girl order, so this couldn't have been his brother.

Ashely White (Female Student #21) exited the building slowly. Her weapon, a hand axe, was being held so tightly behind her back that her knuckles turned white. The first thing she saw was the 'lone wolf' Zel Song. Though she knew he went first, she was hoping that Zel would have run off far away by now. She had to act fast.

Ashely quickly fell to her knees, careful to let her skirt fly up and show a large amount of her creamy thighs. "Why does it have to be like this?" She only half acted the tears streaming down her cheek; this was a stressful situation she had found herself in, after all. Shielding his eyes from the sunlight, Zel regarded the girl for a moment and then dropped his bags and walked towards her slowly, his hands raised. "I'm not going to hur-"

Before he could finish the somewhat clichéd sentence, Ashely had sprung off the ground and planted the hand axe deep into Zel's lower leg. Then as he screamed in pain, she pulled the axe out and prepared to slice at his head.

A large rock stopped her in her tracks, however. There standing in the exit was Ning Song, the boy was built bigger than most 9th graders, muscles apparent through the school uniform shirt. This isn't the time to check out guys, Ashely told herself as blood trickled down the side of her head where the rock had hit. Well it was more a slab of concrete. Zel had more than recovered by now and had used his good leg to kick the blonde girl in the stomach.

The pressure on his bad leg caused an unexpected pain that caused him to fall afterwards. "Zell!" His brother picked up another rock and ran towards him. At this point, Ashely had recovered, grabbed her axe, and ran in diagonal lines into the city.

Ning pulled Zell towards the wall behind the doors so he could bandage the injured leg with provisions he had in his bag. "This is going to sting." Ning warned as he poured a little bit of alcohol onto the wound. Zel restrained from making noise as another girl, Female Student #20 Renee Bishop, ran out of the now open gates. Luckily, not looking back. Ning had dressed and bandaged the wound just as the door opened, releasing Chao Song, the final of the three brothers.

Before Chao could also run off into the city, Ning called out his name. With a serious look that rarely touched his face, the usual optimist made his way over to them. Upon seeing the bloody bandage, the serious look was overtaken by a concerned one. "Are you okay?" Chao asked, dropping his duffel bag along with his daypack next to his brother's. "It was that bitch, Ashely." Zel said calmly, having regained his composure. "Fuck this, I don't like anyone here anyway, I'm gonna play this game of theirs." Chao looked at Zell cautiously, which made him laugh. "Oh come on, Chao. I love you guys! I would take bullets for you guys in a heartbeat." Chao nodded, "As would I." Ning quickly agreed, "If we must die, we all die together."

Zell continued, "It's these other bastards we should kill. Survival of the fittest, man!" Chao remained silent at the suggestion, his eyes troubled. Ning spoke up, as if reading Chao's mind. "Well, I think we should only kill if we are attacked. We don't know who might not be playing." A few more students passed through the gates, none of them bothering to look backwards as they ran away in panic. It also helped that while the gate was open, it blocked the view of them sitting in the door's shade.

Eventually, Zel finally asked the question that everyone was thinking. "So what weapons did you guys get?" He pulled his army issued duffel bag close to him and unzipped it. As promised, there was a supply of bread and water. Also included were a map, compass, flashlight, and his weapon. "What the hell is this?" Zel pulled his weapon out by it's polished wooden handle. "It's a kama." Chao quickly replied. "A Japanese weapon, basically a small sickle."

"I got a tracking device apparently…" Ning said, reading the instructional manual for the small device that he held in his other hand. Zel's gaze turned to Chao who was going through his own duffel bag. "What's your weapon, Chao?" "Bullshit." Chao angrily pulled out a toy plastic hammer out of his bag. It was pink with a large smiley face painted on either end of the head. Ning and Zel both laughed. "I'll give you mine, if ya want. You're the one good with all the martial art stuff." Chao shook his head at the offer. "Thanks, but in Kung Fu we don't use such things. Besides, You may need it if you see what's-her-face again."

For some reason, Female Student #19 Shani Allen, decided that she would be playing the game after all. Worse for the three brothers, she decided to go back to the exit and pick people off as they left. Of course on her way back towards the gate she would see them. Luckily, Ning saw her first and silently motioned to his comrades. "That's an Uzi 9mm." Zell whispered as they packed their belongings again. "We have to run."

At that moment, Shani finally saw them hugging the wall and raised her gun. A loud series of _tatatatat_ sounds filled the air as her bullets flew towards them. "RUN!!!" Chao yelled at his brothers, dashing the opposite way in an attempt to distract Shani. "Chao!" Ning yelled after his foolish brother. Being the quick thinker he was, Ning remembered his item and yelled back at him, "I'll find you! You better not fucking die!!" Zel added a quick, "Or I will fucking kill you!!" and then cursed under his breath as his leg started giving out again.

Without hesitation, Ning picked up his lighter brother, and ran the opposite way from where Chao was leading their assailant. He forgot that he was in a war torn city for just a moment though, and in his carelessness tripped over a large hole in the street. The sounds of gun fire grew louder, a different gun this time, and Ning ordered his brother to split up with him. After a moment's hesitation, Zel agreed. What the hell was going to happen now??

**40 students remaining**


	6. 03 Shell

Gerrald Ferrano (Male Student #12) always considered himself a lucky person. He had been born under, not only one, but three lucky stars. He had always done well in school without studying for tests, and he always won at any game even remotely reliant on chance. He was the patron saint of the poker club at school.

Gerrald (Or 'G' as he was called by some) read his daily horoscope with much gusto, and today was supposed to be especially lucky. He was a little confused as to how he of all people could have been chosen for the 'program' but when he opened his duffel bag and found he was given a 9mm pistol, it all made sense.

Even in the training video, the non-conservative (and extremely cute) girl had looked at one of those Japanese swords as being especially lucky. So, how much luckier was he with a gun and so much extra ammo? He would win and get that posh life that came to all BR champions. He could already taste the fine Italian wine swimming down his throat. Thank you, lucky stars!

Upon exiting the large gates, he spotted one of his female classmates wielding a machine gun after one of the Asian students that was running for dear life. At first, G decided to leave the two alone, and began walking the opposite way.

But something stopped him. Rage. HE was the lucky one, why would SHE have a weapon better than HIS!? Like a geyser of hot water, Gerald's anger threatened to explode if not dealt with. Firing a shot in the air to get the girl's attention, Gerald ran the opposite way to find cover.

At the sound of another gun, Shani dropped her chase of the obviously unarmed Chao and made her way towards the sound. If this was survival of the fittest, she would have to make sure she was indeed the fittest. Passing by the street that led to the classroom, Shani followed the progressively louder bullet shots. Attempting to scare the other student out of hiding, Shani fired into the air. The loud _tatatatat_ caused her to lose hearing temporarily, though she was mostly used to this by now.

As expected, a fellow student in Class C walked out from a large concrete roadblock. In his hands was a pistol of some sort. "So you are the one… G something, right?" Her smile quickly faded as she noticed the cocky smile on Gerald's face. Firing at his feet, which hardly caused the boy to flinch, Shani ordered him to give her his weapon.

When G refused, Shani lifted her uzi and pointed it at him. As Gerald mouthed something she couldn't hear, she pulled the trigger. There was no loud _tatatat_, there was only a mechanical clicking as the uzi tried to fire bullets it didn't have. Suddenly Shani felt a heavy weight in her chest, which knocked her off her feet. Blood gushed out of the bullet hole as if it had been dying for oxygen. At that moment, before Gerald walked up to her and sprayed her brains on the concrete, she realized what Gerald had whispered to her…

"Unlucky."

**39 students remaining**


	7. 04 shell

Ning Song had laid low while the gun battle between his two peers had commenced. He had fallen into a large hole in the concrete, apparently created by a small bomb. As soon as he heard a male's laughter, (It sounded like the kid who always went on about how great Italy was… Somehow managing never being caught by a teacher.) Ning ran as quickly as he could down an alley to his left.

He had purposefully chosen not to follow Zel, in case the assailant decided to follow. (Though Gerrald was too busy examining his new uzi to actually notice him.) Ignoring the pain in his knee where he had struck the ground as he fell, Ning sprinted past building after building. Leaving a trail of dust and sand much like in those old roadrunner cartoons. (Which were banned by the government, by the way.)

After what seemed like hours of sprinting through the decaying city, Ning finally allowed himself to rest. Leaning heavily against a brick wall, the soon to be doctor tried catching his breath. His loud panting didn't stop him from hearing heavy footsteps approaching him though.

Ning quickly consulted the small radar gripped tightly in his hand. There was a small red dot directly on the opposite side of this wall… Meaning inside the building.

Trying to figure out the best course of action, Dr. Song began taking in his surroundings. In front of him was the large brick wall that was the backside of the building someone was hiding, or waiting, inside of. Directly behind him was another building, making a small alleyway. To his left were two semi intact roads and more buildings (these looked more residential, maybe apartments.) and to his right was the way he came, the wide-open space mostly inhabited by sand and rubble.

Finally, Ning decided to enter the building. The footsteps were too heavy to be either of his brother's… Most likely it was Male Student #7 Kuan-Yin Chu, who was the biggest kid in their class, and also the school football team's MVP.

"Hello?" Ning called out, his empty hands held up in a show of peace. (He had already placed the radar back in his bag.) "I know someone is here. Is it you, Kuan?" He tried to keep his voice calm and peaceful, but even he was having difficulty with that.

The few rays of sunshine that entered with him highlighted a staircase just as Ning heard those now familiar footsteps coming from up above.

"I'm going to regret this…" The boy sighed as he looked up at the darkness waiting for him on the second level. As if in response, a sharp pain flew up his leg as he stubbed his toe on a large piece of concrete that had fallen off the ceiling next to the rail-less steps.

With flashlight in hand, Ning searched through the rooms on the second floor. As was previously hinted, the windows were all covered with wood, keeping all light out. This building was apparently a business of some sort, Dr. Song noted as he passed a row of dusty cubicles. "Kuan?" He called out again, this time, not able to contain the fear in his voice. He wondered how the protagonists in those horror shooter games always just silently killed monsters in the dark without a hint of fear. Ah well, That's why it's a video game…

A noise pulled Ning back from his daydreaming. "Leave me… leave me alone… I need… To wake up…" The absent-minded mumbling of his fellow student told him that he was getting closer.

"Kuan? I can help! It's Ning!"

"Help? No one can help. Just let me wake up… Why Can't I wake up?"

Nervously, Ning shined his flashlight into the room that the voice was coming from. There, rocking back and forth in a corner was the school's pride and joy. "Kuan, I'm here to help. I have no weapon." Inching ever so slowly to his classmate, Ning offered an empty hand. "C'mon man, we can beat this."

Kuan ignored the gesture, preferring to rock back and forth mumbling incoherently to himself.

"Kuan?" Ning placed a hand on his schoolmate's shoulder. "C'mon bro…"

"You… are…" Kuan began speaking, his eyes still downcast. "You…"

Ning waited, the flashlight directly on Kuan-Yin Chu. "YOU ARE KEEPING ME HERE!!!!" The boy suddenly yelled out swinging his arm out towards Ning's stomach.

Ning reflexively jumped back, causing the meat cleaver to only barely slice across his stomach. It still drew blood though. In that chaotic moment, Ning dropped his flashlight. "Oh shit…" The light was now shining on a crouching Kuan, and on his dual meat cleavers in either hand. The boy's face was bloody and looked cut up. By who, Ning could never guess.

Sudenlly, Kuan jumped outside of the light's range and disappeared.

"Oh shit…" Ning made a dash for his flashlight, but was hit by a large moving object and sent flying through the already half broken wall. His whole body was on fire, but he managed to get up somehow anyway. "What are you doing?? I am not gonna hurt you!" Ning assumed he had been tackled by his now unseen assailant (and not a bull dozer…) and waited franticly for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

At the very least, nothing was broken and he hadn't used a meat cleaver on him. Another sudden impact sent Ning flying into the floor again. "Damnit! Why can he see me?" Then it dawned on him, Kuan never looked into the light, his eyes were already well adjusted. But that didn't help him now… Waiting a little while, and trying to keep his heavy breathing quite, Ning tried to think of a plan.

What seemed like days went by and Ning continued lying on the floor, allowing the pain to dissipate. Wait… Why hadn't Kuan attacked him while he was lying down and finished the job? He could hear the over sized football player walking around, so he knew he hadn't run away.

Two things instantly became apparent to Ning. The first was that Kuan couldn't see all that well. He wasn't an owl after all. While Ning was lying down, his silhouette probably blended into the floor, thus rendering him invisible. So that was good… But the second realization was even better.

He could hear every move Kuan made.

He was too busy panicking before to realize it, but the football star was never known for possessing stealthy qualities. He had heard him from outside, for crying out loud! (This was aided by the fact that Ning had exceptionally good hearing. Never putting his headphones on full blast like his brothers did.)

Okay… The stage is set… Now I need a plan….

Ning picked himself up and ran sloppily forward to a marked out spot. He then let out a cry of pain and stumbled a little. The sounds of heavy running instantly followed. As soon as they were close enough ( Or so Ning hoped…) Ning rolled to the side, allowing Kuan to trip over the large piece of ceiling that Ning had previously stubbed his toe on.

A sick cracking noise was heard as Kuan's neck snapped. It was a reasonably clean death. The corpse not being further mutilated except for the odd angle that his neck was at. Ning felt no joy at his victory, however. This is what that damn 'Mr. Smith' person wanted… For students to kill each other in blind panic. And Ning did not enjoy the idea of killing. Despite this though, He did pick up the dual meat cleavers and placed them into his belt loops on either side of his waist.

After another moment of hesitation, Ning closed his one time friend's eyes and left without taking anything else of his.

"I have to find my brothers before it's too late…" Ning muttered to himself, producing the radar again. Just as he spoke, the still intact clinic (Really, it was a small hospital. ) he had seen in the video came into view.

**38 students remaining**


	8. 05 Shell

Chao ran as fast as his legs would take him

Chao ran as fast as his legs would take him. Even after the _tatatatat_ of the uzi seemed to be going the other way, he kept running. Fear propelled his legs to move faster and faster. Only the thought that his pursuer might have gone back after his brothers made him stop and look back. After he did such a thing, would Ning or Zel still chase after him? Chao shook his head, dispelling these thoughts from his mind. No… They were smarter than that.

Fingering the pink plastic hammer in the daypack slung over his shoulder, Chao deliberated on his next course of action. A series of minutes passed by in silence before Chao heard anything. Then eventually, he heard the sound of a female's laughter. Turning a corner, Chao saw who the voice belonged to.

"Why don't you believe me?? I have no weapon!!" Sev Valentine (Male student #15) had his back against a decaying wall across the surprisingly intact street. In front of him, with her back to Chao, was Heather.

"Do you find me pretty?" Heather asked, her long hair falling over her bare shoulders. Chao could see Sev blush as the blonde girl started unbuttoning his pants. "Uhh…" Sev stuttered. "Well? What do you think?" one of her hands was stroking his leg as the other one pulled a handle out from the back of her skirt…

Before Heather could strike with her hand axe, Chao had swiftly kicked her over onto her side. "Go away, Whore. You're not his type." Heather simply blinked in amazement before picking her half naked body off the ground. She started to undo her skirt after she finally regained her composure. "Well maybe I'm yo-" In the blink of an eye, Chao had brought his foot up to the girl's face and held it there. "I do see the axe that's still in your hand. I do not want to hurt a girl, so just leave. I will even let you keep your weapon if you leave quietly." When she said nothing, Chao continued. "And no… you are not my type either."

Finally, Heather dropped her gaze and turned around. Silently, Chao turned his back to her and, ignoring Sev, began to walk away. A loud gunshot rang through the air caused him to stop. "He said leave…" Sev held a handgun pointed upwards, his gaze on Heather who had her axe poised above Chao's head. This time, the girl really did leave; running in zig zags and eventually disappearing into the abandoned concrete jungle.

"And now it's your turn…" Sev pointed the gun at Chao, who merely stared back at him. They stayed like this, imitating a western 'shoot-em-up' film. Then after a long pause, the two boys both started to laugh. "It's damn good to see you safe, Chao." Sev smiled. His dyed blue hair was spiked in the back and natural in the front, the same as usual. "Why didn't you do that earlier? Obviously little miss muffet is scared shitless of guns!" Sev laughed at his best friend's reply. "Well to tell the truth, she actually is my type. Why in the hell did you have to stop her??" He said this last part with a gentle shove to Chao's shoulder. "Sorry dude, but you getting your rocks off (then having them cut off) is not something I want to see on this or any day."

The two started walking together up what appeared to have been a bridge at one point. "Where are we going, Chao?" Smiling, Chao pointed at a tall building in the distance. "I need to meet up with my brothers. They should be together still, and they know how much I love heights. So I'm hoping they will look for me there." Sev nodded, a little amazed at the connection his best friend had with his brothers. He never hung out with the other two that much, but he knew they were good people.

"Oh, Chao. Do you want this?" Sev handed the handgun to his friend handle first. "I flat out refuse to shoot anyone and I'm not good with these kind of things anyway." Chao looked at Sev for a while and then shook his head. "Dontcha remember? I get worse grades than you do in marksmanship… Hold onto it. At least as an intimidation device." Sev nodded, placing the gun back in its holster on his waist.

Eventually, The two friends came to a large concrete spillway leading to a huge metal gate. "I wonder what this is for…" Sev mumbled, sliding down the slanted wall on one side. It seemed the battle that had taken place in this city had never crossed to this particular section. There were some holes in the concrete from simple disrepair… But nothing that suggested a battle. And the concrete at the bottom of the spillway was much smoother than the concrete they had previously been walking on.

Chao spotted a small metal box above the metal gate. One of the buttons was glowing green and the other was glowing red, showing that there was still electricity here somehow, despite the city being abandoned for so long. Taking another moment to shade his eyes from the setting sun, Chao finally answered his friend. "It was used to contain water and possibly redirect it. I think these are called spillways… Anyway I think we can afford to rest here, it's getting late and we have been walking for hours." Sev agreed and the two set down their belongings.

"Hey Chao…" Sev placed half the loaf of the government issued bread back in his bag slowly, keeping his eyes on his friend. Chao looked up at his friend and tilted his head without a sound (besides his chewing).

"Were you… testing me?"

Chao swallowed before answering, "…What do you mean?"

"Well… Back there…"

"Yes?"

"When you found me…"

"Go on…"

"You…" Sev heaved a sigh and looked at his smiling friend. "You must of known she had a hand axe... And I've never seen you turn your back to an enemy or be unobservant…" Taking a second to play the scene back in his head, Sev continued. "You even turned your back to me… So… Were you testing me?" Chao continued smiling. Finally he opened his mouth. "When I say 'now', shoot the switch." Confused, Sev looked at his friend. "What Swi-" "It's behind me, above the gate." Before Sev could inquire anymore, a long shadow covered the ground around them.


End file.
